SWAMPSCOTT — With a new season on the horizon, the Swampscott baseball team is optimistic that this is the year the Big Blue can get over the hump and make a deep postseason run.
For the past three seasons, Swampscott has fallen short to Austin Prep in the Division 3 North state tournament. Last spring, the Big Blue took down Stoneham and East Boston in the preliminary and first round, respectively. Austin Prep then ended Swampscott’s season with a 6-3 win over the Big Blue in the quarterfinal round. Swampscott finished the 2017 season at 14-8.
“It was like the tale of two seasons almost,” Big Blue coach Jason Calichman, entering his sixth season at the helm of the program, said. “We didn’t finish strong but we picked it up in the tournament and won two tournament games. A couple things didn’t go our way against Austin Prep for the third season in a row. Hopefully this is the season we can right the ship and take the next step.”
Now Swampscott turns the page on 2017 and looks forward to the 2018 season. The big challenge, however, will be replacing the vacancies left by a handful of key seniors who left the team due to graduation. That includes the likes of Louis Olivieri, Sean Lahrizi and AJ Venuti.
“We lost Louis Olivieri. In my mind he should’ve been the Northeastern Conference MVP,” Calichman said. “We lost Sean Lahrizi and AJ Venuti but players always step up. I’ve been here long enough to know that when you lose players, other guys step up. I’m just hopeful guys step up, hit their stride and follow our philosophy in hitting. We need to have production all throughout the lineup to be where we want to be.”
Key returners at the plate include senior shortstop Spencer Perkins, senior outfielder/designated hitter David Quill, junior first baseman Ryan Graciale, sophomore third baseman Graham Inzana and sophomore catcher Dylan January. Perkins is slated to bat leadoff this spring for the Big Blue.
On the mound, Division II Stonehill commit Luke Marshall will lead the Big Blue rotation. Marshall, a team captain and senior right-hander, will be joined on the pitching staff by senior Colin Frary, juniors Colin Reiling and Max Pegnato, and sophomore Nick Riser.
“We’re going to go as Luke goes,” Calichman said. “He’s going to challenge other teams. He’s going to give us a chance to win every time he’s on the mound.
“We had an upperclassmen-heavy pitching staff last season,” Calichman added. “These guys didn’t get a ton of innings last year. These kids love the game and they work hard. I think they’ll challenge teams. If they throw strikes we’ll be in good shape.”
Timely hitting and making clutch plays in key situations will also be key for Swampscott this season.
“There were times we didn’t have the clutch hits (last season),” Calichman said. “Collectively, we can’t look for one guy to make the play. Everyone that’s out there has to make a play. We need timely hitting and good defense. Outside of Lahrizi at center field, we struggled in the outfield. We’re looking at three new guys out there. They’ll have to compete hard and make some plays for us.”
Swampscott’s currently in the tryout phase of its preseason. Aside from looking for players who are ready to contribute at the varsity level, Calichman and his assistant coaches are searching for players who’ll understand what it means to represent Swampscott when they wear the Big Blue uniform.
“We’re looking for effort, accuracy with the arms, we’re looking for kids that’ll represent the town and the school the right way,” Calichman said. “We’ve done a good job with that. When they put on the uniform they have to play a certain way and represent the town a certain way. We’re hoping to continue that tradition.”
Calichman foresees a competitive NEC this season. The benefit of playing in a competitive conference, Calichman said, is that the schedule helps in preparing for the level of competition in the state tournament.
“We can’t take anybody lightly,” Calichman said. “If we play our game, I like our chances against anybody. If we throw our gloves on the field and think we’re going to win, we’re going to get beat. That’s the league, it’s a tough conference but it helps. It only helps you to play these types of teams when the tournament rolls around. I expect the conference to be a dog fight like it is every single year.”
Swampscott opens the new season April 9 at Marblehead.
